My Childhood Blank-kee

Most people have something they treasure since childhood. For some, it may be their first baseball mitt or first basketball. As for me, it is my Chinese traditional blanket. It holds priceless memories of my (1)blissful childhood days when my only worry was how to avoid the vegetables my mother forced on me. It was my constant companion, my partner in crime, and my source of comfort.I was born into a warm, financially stable family. As the youngest child, I was well-loved, so much so that my family (2)indulged me with everything I wanted. That’s why I had the best toys and gadgets among my childhood friends. Although I was showered with these luxurious things, there is one thing that I will never forget—my beloved â€Å"blank-kee,† my priceless possession which I kept over the years.I used to call my blanket a â€Å"blank-kee†, because I can’t pronounce the â€Å"ket† in the word â€Å"blanket.† It was given by my godmother to my mothe r the day after my mother told her that she was pregnant with me. It is an authentic Chinese traditional blanket. Although others think it is (3)repugnant and in poor taste, it is classical in its own way.It is sewn together with different shades of red, embossed with a traditional Chinese Dragon. According to the lunar calendar, I was born in the year of the dragon, and the Chinese tradition states that red is a symbol of happiness. Thus, this blanket was bestowed upon me for luck, (4)prosperity, and happiness.Although it is a perfect gift for a person of Chinese decent, the blanket may seem ill-designed for others because it is an abomination to any design philosophies or principles I have encountered.Plus, I don’t particularly like the color red because I find it corny.   However unsightly this blanket may seem, I still love it! When I was a child, every time I felt lonely, I used this blanket to feel more secure and at ease. It was like a magical blanket that gave me ha ppy thoughts. That is why I have nurtured some sort of love-hate relationship with my blanket.My unique blanket is approximately 3 ½ inches by 5 inches. It used to fit easily into it when I was a child. Now that I have considerably outgrown it, the blanket barely covers me. As it is made of silk cloth, its smooth sensation gives me an unfathomable feeling whenever I rub it against my skin.The stains in it reflect its age and the moments that I have shared with it.   Because of my clumsiness as a child, it was soiled by food spills and several accidents I had, leaving permanent stains. These stains, however, did not make it any less comfy.As a child, my blank-kee was my constant companion. I was the youngest and my sister is 10 years older than me. The â€Å"generational-gap† between us made it a bit difficult to communicate with my sister and develop a good relationship with her. Nonetheless, my blanket never failed to provide me (5)relentless emotional support by giving me more comfort than its capacity to warm.I have been through a lot with this blanket. That is why it was my â€Å"best-partner-in-crime†. I remember the days when my mother force-fed me with veggies. Whenever my mother fed me with something that looks green or has an (6)uncanny smell (EWW!), I spat it out when she was not looking and covered it underneath my blanket.I also have this vivid memory of my mother getting mad at me for my naughtiness. You see, I was a really chubby kid when I was young, so my mother wanted me to go on a diet. I had to cut down my sugar intake, but controlling my craving for sweets was proving more difficult than I thought.When I can’t hold it any longer, I stole from our refrigerator a can of Coke and a Snicker chocolate bar that was a left over from one of our dinner parties. I have not yet drunk the whole can when the doorbell rang, which was an (7)indication that my mom is back from a day of hell.Ihurriedly hid my can of Coke and the cho colate wrapper underneath the sofa out of (8)sheer panic, accidentally knocking over the can. With the adrenaline rush, a brilliant idea came to me and made me use my blanket to wipe off the Coke on the floor, leaving it flawless and sparkly clean. There was nothing to be found in the crime scene.I thought that my partner in crime that saved me would remain to be my sole witness. Later that night, as everyone finished dinner and started approaching the family room to watch TV, my mother found the can and wrapper under the sofa! It was really stupid of me to forget the most important thing to do after a crime—(9)dispose of the evidence!Since no one is willing to admit the misdeed, I stood up and confessed. My mother already knew it was me. My mother even saw my wet blanket and she confiscated it from me. I was like a fish in an aquarium whose oxygen was removed.

A workout for working memory

New research suggests that mental exercises might enhance one of the brain's central components for reasoning and problem-solving.People may be able to remember a nearly infinite number of facts, but only a handful of items–held in working memory–can be accessed and considered at any given moment. It's the reason why a person might forget to buy an item or two on a mental grocery list, or why most people have difficulty adding together large numbers.In fact, working memory could be the basis for general intelligence and reasoning: Those who can hold many items in their mind may be well equipped to consider different angles of a complex problem simultaneously.If psychologists could help people expand their working-memory capacity or make it function more efficiently, everyone could benefit, from chess masters to learning-disabled children, says Torkel Klingberg, MD, PhD, an assistant cognitive neuroscience professor at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Children with at tention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for example, might especially benefit from working-memory training, says Rosemary Tannock, PhD, a psychologist and psychiatry professor at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.â€Å"It could be that working-memory problems give rise to observable behavioral symptoms of ADHD: distractibility and also poor academic achievement,† she says. Working-memory deficits might also underpin some reading disabilities, as it controls the ability to recall words read earlier in a sentence, says Tannock.But how–or even if–working memory can be expanded through training remains a topic of hot contention among psychologists. Some argue that working memory has a set limit of about four items, and that individual differences in working memory arise from the ability to group small bits of information into larger chunks. However, new research suggests that working-memory capacity could expand with practice–a finding that cou ld shed new light on this central part of the mind's architecture, as well as potentially lead to treatments for ADHD or other learning disabilities.Functional limitationsOne such study–by researchers at Syracuse University–hit upon the potential trainability while attempting to resolve a debate in the literature on the limits of working memory.Since the 1950s, psychologists have found one aspect of working memory–sometimes referred to as the focus of attention–to have severe limitations. For example, George Miller, PhD–a founder of cognitive psychology and a psychology professor at Princeton University–established that people generally can't recall lists of numbers more than seven digits long.Those who exceeded that limit tended to make smaller groups of numbers into larger ones, using a process called â€Å"chunking.† For example, people familiar with U.S. intelligence agencies would see the letter group â€Å"FBICIA† as two chunks, rather the six letters, and that set of letters would only occupy two slots in a person's memory, rather than six.In recent years, however, evidence is mounting that the limitation of working memory is somewhere between one and four information chunks.The downward revision results from new techniques to keep people from chunking information, which can create the illusion of greater fundamental storage capacity, says Nelson Cowan, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Missouri–Columbia. In one common chunking-prevention method, participants repeat meaningless phrases over and over while performing working memory tasks such as memorizing lists of numbers.A recent literature review by Cowan, published in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Vol. 24, No. 1, pages 87–185), makes the case that a variety of working-memory measures all converge on a set limit of four items.Other researchers have suggested that working-memory capacity is limited even further œto just a single item. In a study by Brian McElree, PhD, a psychology professor at New York University, participants underwent a test of working memory called â€Å"n-back.†In the task, the participants read a series of numbers, presented one at a time on a computer screen. In the easiest version of the task, the computer presents a new digit, and then prompts participants to recall what number immediately preceded the current one. More difficult versions might ask participants to recall what number appeared two, three or four digits ago.McElree found that participants recalled the immediately preceding numbers in a fraction of the time it took them to recall numbers presented more than one number ago–a finding published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition (Vol. 27, No. 1, pages 817–835.)â€Å"There is clear and compelling evidence of one unit being maintained in focal attention and no direct evidence for more than one ite m of information extended over time,† says McElree.In an attempt to reconcile the two theories, psychology professor Paul Verhaeghen, PhD, and his colleagues at Syracuse University replicated McElree's experiment, but tracked participants' response times as they practiced at the task for 10 hours over five days. (See November Monitor, page 35.)â€Å"We found that by the end of day five†¦their working memory [capacity] had expanded from one to four items, but not to five,† says Verhaeghen. â€Å"It seems that both theories are correct.†The focus of attention might expand as other working-memory processes become automated, Verhaeghen says. Perhaps practice improves the process of attaching a position to a number, freeing up the mind to recall up to four numbers, he notes.Some researchers believe the practice effect uncovered by Verhaeghen reflects more efficient information encoding rather than expanded working-memory capacity. According to McElree, the respon se time measures used by Verhaeghen do not provide pure measures of memory-retrieval speed, and the changes in response time with practice could indicate that participants in his study simply became more practiced at encoding numbers vividly, he says.If Verhaeghen's findings can be replicated using other tasks, it could change how scientists conceptualize working-memory limitations. Rather than there being a set limitation, working-memory capacity could improve through practice–suggesting that those with working-memory problems could improve their capacities through repetition. However, practice would need to occur on a task-by-task basis, says Verhaeghen, and, as he points out, â€Å"It is doubtful that practice on n-back generalizes to anything in real life.†Stretching the limitsNew research on children with ADHD, however, might show tasks such as n-back can improve working memory in general, and could help children with the condition.People with ADHD tend to have di fficulty with working-memory capacity, and that deficit could be responsible for their tendency to be distracted and resulting problems at school, says Tannock.Seeking to alleviate such difficulties with his research, Klingberg ran a randomized controlled trial of 53 children with ADHD in which half of the participants practiced working-memory tasks that gradually increased in difficulty.The other half completed tasks that did not get harder as the children became better at them. Both groups of children–who were 7 to 12 years old–practiced tasks such as recalling lists of numbers for 40 minutes a day over five weeks.The children who practiced with increasingly difficult memory tasks performed better on two working memory tests–which were different than the practice tasks–than the control group, reported Klingberg in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (Vol. 44, No. 2, pages 177–186.)In addition, the parents of child ren with memory training reported a reduction in their children's hyperactivity and inattention three months after the intervention, while the parents of the control group participants did not.Subsequent, yet-unpublished experiments build on those results, Klingberg says.â€Å"We have looked at other groups too: adults with stroke, young adults without ADHD, children with†¦traumatic brain injuries,† he says. â€Å"A general pattern [we've found] is as long as you have working-memory problems and you have the ability to train, you can improve your abilities.†Some researchers suggest that memory training may have more of an effect on motivation than working memory.â€Å"It seems to me that children in the training group may have learned to have a better attitude toward the testing situation, whereas children in the control group–who repeated easy problems–may have learned that the testing situation was boring and uninteresting,† says Cowan. â₠¬Å"The differences that emerged on a variety of tasks could be the result of better motivation and attitude rather than a basic improvement in working memory.†Or, says Klaus Oberauer, PhD, a psychology professor and memory researcher at the University of Bristol in England, the practice effect in both Klingberg's studies might result from people learning to use their limited working-memory capacity more efficiently–perhaps by grouping information into larger chunks or by enlisting long-term memory.â€Å"I think the practice effect [they found] basically is just an ordinary practice effect, in that everything gets faster,† he says.So, even if working memory can't be expanded, adults with grocery lists and children with ADHD may be able to make better use of what little space is available by practicing the task itself or repeating tests of general working memory. And, in the end, the milk gets bought and the reading assignment finished.Reference:Cowan, N. (2005). W orking-memory capacity limits in a theoretical context. In C. Izawa & N. Ohta (Eds.), Human learning and memory: Advances in theory and application: The 4th Tsukuba International Conference on Memory. (pp. 155–175). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Klingberg, T., Fernell, E., Olesen, P.J., Johnson, M., Gustafsson, P., Dahlstrom, K., et al. (2005). Computerized training of working memory in children with ADHD–A randomized, controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(2), 177–186.  Martinussen, R., Hayden J., Hogg-Johnson, S., & Tannock, R. (2005). A meta-analysis of working memory components in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(4), 377–384.  McElree, B. (2001). Working memory and focal attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 27(3), 817–835.  Pernille, J.O., Westerberg, H., & Klingberg, T. (2004). Increased prefrontal and parietal activity after training in working memory. Nature Neuroscience, 7(1), 75–79.  Verhaeghen, P., Cerella, J., & Basak, C. (2004). A working memory workout: How to expand the focus of serial attention from one to four items in 10 hours or less. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 30(6), 1322–1337.   

Analysis of Aravind Eye Hospital

An Eye on Hope Miracles do happen. Don’t believe me? Ask that boy whose eyes would finally be able to see how the face of his mother is much more beautiful than even that angelic face that he had always imagined while listening to the lullabies she sang for him or how his cricketing hero actually looks like or how his kingdom of sand – that the world calls as a playground actually bore the signs of his footsteps or how the faces of his friends, who cheered for him for being specially-abled or who dissed him for his disability, change expressions on seeing him again. Now, here is a question for all the B-School students who are taught to derive the equivalent clink of coin-sound for all human emotions, day-in and day-out or for all the professionals who have grown up taking pride in putting a dollar tag on every single sentiment on this earth. Can you put a price tag on this miracle? How much would you be ready to invest if you could make this miracle a mundane reality for millions and millions of people in India? Can you be stoic enough emotionally to discard this proposal by taking help of an equally heartless financial jargon of profit-margins and return on capital employed? Or would you take a step forward and approach this problem the right way rather than the easy way. Arvind Eye Hospitals, since their inception, have proven time and again, year-after-year, that a business that deals in miracles like this can be self-sustainable if you have the right sentiments, intentions, vision and the sincerity to cater to the base of the pyramid, which because of its sheer volume, in a country like India can prove to be a self-dependent and autonomous business model. Put yourself in the shoes of the patients just for a moment, and you’ll understand how it can prove to be an economically viable model with a focus on intangible benefits rather than the tangible ones. Imagine a hypothetical case of Laxmi, who lives in Tangachi Mattam, a village forty kilometers away from Madurai, who decides to bring in her 10-year-old, bespectacled son Vishnu, to be examined at the centre this Saturday when he complained of irritation in his left eye. Ordinarily, it would have taken them a whole day to go to Madurai by bus and back, not to mention the cost of Rs 200 round trip. If the vision centre develops in every city, the consultation with the Doctor cost them Rs 20 – at less than the price of a coffee cup in a hip cafe, one little boy’s eyes can finally return to his school books. The model certainly can be emulated if the businessmen can abandon their perennial thirst for endless money for this cause and concentrate more on the intangible benefits of this exercise rather than tangible ones. But the question is how? Part-I – How ? If we look at the current status of blindness in India, about 90% of blindness is relatively easily treatable and cataract remains a major cause of blindness. Our annual cataract surgical rate is about 3. 5 million but the current levels of cataract surgery are far below the number required to clear the existing backlog, besides taking care of incidence. There is an urgent need to perform more cataract surgeries every year. If we look at the current service delivery pattern, the Government does about 25%, NGOs and voluntary organization 41. 2% and private 33. 8%. There is also an increasing shift towards IOL surgery. The increasing need in the community for eye care services combined with poor utilization of existing resources indicate a strong need for organizational development aimed at such eye care providers. One major need is to better equip these institutions to deal with the burden of blindness, to aid in the transition towards IOL surgery other standard procedures, to standardize duality of eye care provided by them, to promote cost effective practices for self-sustainability and finally to help the hospital leadership to articulate a well defined vision and goal for their hospital. Based on Arvind Eye Care’s experience, a capacity building process with other eye hospitals should be initiated. Arvind should set itself a target of partnering in capacity building with 100 voluntary eye hospitals that were under performing or in the start-up phase. The ultimate goal would be to help in developing each of these hospitals into a facility capable of doing high volume, high quality work and become financially viable. The financial viability will remain a critical issue in order to protect these voluntary organizations from the uncertainties of external funding. The first initiative in this direction has already come from the Lions International who wanted to establish a process for capacity building for the hospitals supported by them and as a spin off other INGOs like Sight Savers, CBM, Seva and IEF too joined hands for their partner hospitals. LAICO is currently partnering with 140 eye hospitals, of which 118 are from India and the remaining are from other countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Africa, Cambodia, etc. LAICO, is working on the following 4-step strategy to help with the capacity building of the under-performing and other NGO hospitals. The results so far have been astounding for LAICO. The following graphs show how the capacity development workshops have been a path-breaking success for this business model in general and the participating hospitals in particular. The resulting efficiency increase through the economies of scale is also evident in the cost recovery of the participating hospitals as shown in the graph below. But the biggest challenge in terms of the execution of the plan is to ensure the sustainability of this execution. The above analysis leads us to identifying some of the factors that affect the capacity building process as many of the hospitals have drastically increased, while some hospitals have shown no improvement or decrease in the performance. The leadership of the hospital is a major factor. The location, availability and involvement of the leader affect capacity building. Wherever there has been a permanent leader with a vision, those hospitals have shown a very good improvement. Resistance to change and openness among the team members are also crucial. The hospitals need to have teamwork rather than one person doing the entire show. If the institution is not interested in doing high volume or is satisfied with the current level of services, capacity building is difficult. Where ever the leader focuses more on resource creation rather than on resource utilization, an imbalance between performance and capacity arises. Operational areas, even having a single ophthalmologist or part-time ophthalmologist also affect the long-term sustainability of the hospital especially when these doctors leave the hospital. The pattern of compensation also affects the growth of the hospital. To some extent incentives help the hospital increase its performance but this does not help the hospital to grow as an institution. This brings us to the vital question – what should be the change in the outlook of the organization to sustain this change and continue to register growth in the strategy chosen. Part-II – How sustainable is sustainable? No matter the individual or the reason at hand, all effective leadership styles have one thing in common- they all contain the Four Cs- Character, Communication skills, Consistency, and the Creativity needed for successful problem solving. Of course, within each of these four traits, variances of extreme proportions are noted by those most inclined to utilize them. The ability to get onto the correct path for creating your own effective leadership style stems from within the individual, for realizing that it is the followers who recognize if a leader is successful is the first step. Share the glory with your team, but keep the pains to yourself. Small, cash-strapped nonprofits often find that the most accessible funding is restricted to specific initiatives, programs, and contracts. They accept them because they nominally fall within the organization’s broad mission statement, but they are much better aligned with the donor’s strategy than with the nonprofit’s. Because the funds barely cover the direct costs of the additional activity, much less the indirect costs, the nonprofit reenters the funding market again and again, each time as a bigger, less focused, and more cash-starved entity. Hence, within the non-profit sector, one can safely say that â€Å"The tree dies from the top†. As a consequence of this stick-and-stretch syndrome, nonprofits often develop anaerobic life styles. At one extreme is the bloated bureaucracy: It may have some hardworking parts, but as a whole, it’s slow moving and survives because of mission legitimacy, not mission performance. At the other is the ever-busy nonprofit characterized by action paralysis. The organization is so busy executing the day-to-day stuff, raising money, implementing programs, and so on, that it never steps back to consider the full implications of its actions. The combination of stickiness to the mission and stretchiness to market demands can undermine a nonprofit’s effectiveness. The stretchiness keeps it very busy on a day-to-day basis; it’s constantly executing programs and working to raise funds. But in a strategic sense, the organization moves very slowly because the stickiness holds it in place. Before it can move forward, it must unstick the inertia at its center and then creep forward one step at a time, carrying with it all its baggage. To create a strategy that is both ffective and measurable, nonprofits first need to translate their core mission into a narrower, quantifiable operational mission. Next, the nonprofit needs to convert the operational mission into a strategy platform using the following 4-step strategy process. Step 1: The Mission Statement. This statement tends to be broad and far-reaching and usually identifies the customer need the organization attempts to serve, such as hunger, homelessness, or une mployment. The purpose of the mission statement is to inspire. Its credibility lies in the significance and scope of the problem it has identified. A powerful and compelling long-term goal will draw the attention of funders, workers, and volunteers. Habitat for Humanity International’s goal is â€Å"to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the face of the earth [and] put the subject of inadequate housing in the hearts and minds of people. † The mission tells you the nature of the problem, but it doesn’t identify how Habitat will address that need or how much of it will be served by the organization. Step 2: The Operational Mission. This step brings the lofty, inspirational mission into the realm of quantitative goals. While the big mission should be broad enough to guide action through periods of organizational and environmental change, the operational mission must be narrow enough to allow the organization to trace its impact. The organization’s work should always be measurable, even if it must use proxies to do so. Habitat for Humanity, for example, tracks not only the number of homes it has built, but in some areas it also estimates the extent of poverty housing yet to be eliminated. Step 3: The Strategy Platform. This delineates how the operational mission will be achieved, including which programs to run and how to run them. The strategy platform consists of four important components: client and market development, program and service development and delivery, funder and donor development, and organization development and governance. (See the exhibit â€Å"Blueprint of a Strategy Platform. †) Each one should directly relate to the operating mission and should dovetail with the other components. Most important, every program should correspond to its appropriate strategy platform component. Step 4: The Choice of Programs. Once an organization has the platform for supporting the various strategy components in a coherent way, the day-to-day tasks of choosing which programs to fund and which to cut are much better guided. When a new program appears on the organization’s radar, the first question to ask is, How does the program contribute to the appropriate strategy component—funding development, for instance, or operational development? Conclusion: The leader in a non-profit like that of Arvind Hospital, should instead of trying to be all things to all people, should pick a niche, craft an operational mission and, flowing from it, formulate a coherent strategy platform. Then it should vigorously pursue those programs that support the logic of the entire strategy. That approach improves nonprofits’ chances for changing the world. Unfortunately, too few nonprofits conduct such strategic assessments of their work. And it is this difference which determines that how sustainable is sustainable?

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management Essay - 5

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management - Essay Example Moovers and Shakers must focus heavily on internal human resources strategy to ensure that service staff members positively and enthusiastically represent the business brand. Their performances coupled with moderate and competitive pricing will help Moovers and Shakers gain market interest and achieve better profitability. Moovers and Shakers 1. Introduction Moovers and Shakers is a small, mobile food service business that will be serving Coventry, the 12th largest city in the UK maintaining a population of 316,900 as of 2011 (Coventry City Council 2012). Coventry maintains a diverse variety of different commercial centres, stadiums for sporting events, and five colleges and universities that will assist in sustaining profit for the business. Moovers and Shakers will consist of three mobile food carts, staffed in different locations within the boundaries of Coventry operating between the hours of 11am and 8pm, except during special events (e.g. sporting, school functions or arts and drama) in order to capture lunch and dinner crowds; especially commercial professional customers. Moovers and Shakers will carry a limited, yet targeted menu consisting of hamburgers, gourmet franks, nachos and cheese, pretzels and accompanying frozen and fountain soft drinks. What makes Moovers and Shakers so extraordinary will be the moderate pricing structure and an emphasis on food serving flair provided by recruited operators (staff) to make the Moovers and Shakers dining a complete and interesting experience. Moovers and Shakers will be established as a sole trader organisation. This structure will provide the owner with more control over the business, ranging from administration to accounting, and this business structure requires much less regulatory restrictions and licensing necessary for a small start-up. The sole trader format also gives the business owner much more control over exit in the event that the business is not achieving expected profitability or in the event of the owner seeking a different business opportunity. This is due to the fact that the sole trader maintains 100 percent liability for the company. Until the business is able to expand, maintaining profit control for a single business owner is necessary to ensure proper wage accumulation without split capital. The key to success for Moovers and Shakers is food quality and variety, however it is the finesse and flamboyance of food preparation by the mobile cart operators that will gain customer interest and build more allegiance to the Moovers and Shakers brand identity. Mobile cart operators will operate the frozen drink machines and accessories much like a high-class bartender, putting on a display for customers during preparation. These expert employees with the skills for food prep panache will perform a variety of tossing and juggling when assembling the customers’ products, giving Moovers and Shakers a rapid reputation for a stylish food experience. As such, the business plan will focus on recruitment and retention needs as employees will be vital to building a positive brand and how to reduce risk of losing qualified, expert employees. The business plan will also rely heavily on advertising in order to compete. The business plan therefore focuses on models of marketing that are known to bring more buyer interest and how Moovers and Shakers intends to apply these lessons to this innovative mobile food business. The

Memo and email Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memo and email - Essay Example In addition, employees will receive twice the normal bonus in the coming year. All workers are invited to attend the meeting next week and will be excused from their jobs for an hour so that they may do so. Second Scenario Memo Date: 5/31/2013 To: The Workers of SimuTech From: The Management RE: The Issue of Discipline This memo is concerns the recent firing of Craig Wilson due to flouting company regulations. SimuTech has some of the most flexible rules where employees are concerned. Moreover, it is vital for those policies to be well observed by all employees regardless of skill or competence if the company is to save on costs and also avoid unnecessary expenses. Workers are also expected to tend to the company’s business when they are at work, and not spend time pursuing their own interests on the company’s time. Craig Wilson, though a competent and highly intelligent worker, exposed the company to the possibility of litigation due to his illegal downloading of copyr ighted material. Not only was he using the company’s time for his own ends, but he was also exposing it to lawsuits. Even though Craig has had a stalwart career with SimuTech, it was decided to let him go because this was not a first incident. It is our hope that this termination serves as a warning to all workers who have considered conducting such an operation. Workers who have any questions about other activities that are considered to be illegal are advised to contact SimuTech’s human resources department. First External Business Email Subject Line: Promotional Offering – Susan Monk I was happy to receive your proposal about installing a metal sign at the reduced cost of $2000. However, the Warren Enterprises Corporation is currently undergoing numerous activities that require increased capital. As a result of this, I will not be able to take advantage of your offer at the present time. Moreover, after the present contracts are done, I will be most intereste d in acting on any proposals from the Chamber of Commerce in future. Thanks again for your offer. I appreciate your efforts and hope we can cooperate on business projects in future. Best regards, Name Second External Business Email Subject Line: Request for Refund I would like to address the issue of the float that was created for the Warren Enterprises for the annual Patriots event. I would like to request for a refund of the $1000 that the Warren Enterprises gave for its float. However, it is only fair to give the reasons for my request. The float was quite a disappointment because it had several obvious cracks and its colors, apart from being quite garish, were not those on the logo of Warren Enterprises. The float did not have the name of Warren Enterprises on any part of it either. Needless to say, more than one manager commented about the ungainly float. I spoke to one of your workers about this and included a copy of the receipt along with the letter of complaint I gave him t o give to you. I would appreciate it if you sent the refund at your earliest convenience. Still, you can reduce the fee required for installing the sing on the ball park. I hope to hear from you soon. Best Regards, Name Cover Memo OFFICE SYMBOL DATE 5/31/2013 MEMORANDUM FOR: Instructor SUBJECT: The Challenge of the Subject The firing of a proficient employee has been a challenging subject for me to tackle. This is because I was relieved of my duties owing to the

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Marketing - Essay Example 63-65, 1996). Yet, the fundamental question remains and revolves around the reason of why shall the company use the services of consultants for the same and why the internal talent be utilized for the same. There are many reasons in this regard. Firstly, strategy building is a difficult and painful exercise since it requires making hard and avoidable choices. In fact, strategy builders have to get out of their comfort zones and take decisions to undertake discussions, which they would have not even imagined under normal circumstances. It has been an observation (Porter, pp. 69-74, 1996) that at times, it becomes extremely difficult for the company to make those choices considering the human and emotional constraints. This also explains why many Chinese and Japanese companies avoid having clear and well-defined strategies since the process of the same would require them to go against their culture of collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and achieving consensus for every decision (OMahoney, pp. 64-6 9, 2010). Quite understandably, when managers are making the strategies, there is a high probability that the emotional element would get into the process to make it more biased. Many companies successfully develop good strategies but fail to execute them; however, it would be a complete disaster if the company designs a biased and mediocre strategy and then executes it with all possible energies (Curnow & Reuvid, pp. 79-84, 2003). Furthermore, over the years, the field of strategic management has developed to great limits. New complexities, inventions, and use of latest tools, ever-changing industry scenario, new elements and dynamics and others have made it even more complex for any nonprofessional or even an average middle manager to involve himself in the process of strategic management and promise great results. Management consultants bring with themselves vast experience in their fields of helping companies making turnarounds and taking otherwise

Leading innovation and change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Leading innovation and change - Assignment Example Meanwhile, it will be admitted that they ways in which organisations are designed and managed that unwittingly discourage the prioritisation and promotion of innovation (Afuah, 2003). With such behaviours, the organisations are forced to acquire behaviours and practices that they wish they had less of. This paper is therefore dedicated to exploring some unhelpful behaviours and practices that militate against innovation, whiles identifying others that promote innovation. More to this, the paper will explore the role of innovation to competitive advantage as this will encourage organisations to pursue innovation. A number of models will also be considered that help in making the implementation of innovation easier. With all these areas of leading innovation and change considered, it will be possible to conclude on the overall relevance of innovation to modern companies. Howells (2005) observed that before the late 20th century, competitive advantage to companies was all about ways in which pricing models will be used by companies to attract customers over their competitors. This has however been said to change since the late 20th century where innovation has become a key word in fostering the goals of competitive advantage for organisations of all kinds, especially profit making ones (Batra et al., 2000). Tidd and Bessant (2009) stated that the real role of innovation in creating competitive advantage is that it gives different organisations the opportunity of dealing with the same context in different ways. For example, Starbuck, McDonalds and Dunkin’ will all be presented with the same context of having to sell coffee products to consumers but through the power of innovation, each of these companies may do different things that make it possible for them to gain reasonable market share. In the absence of innovation therefore,

A New Work Ethic Case 4.4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A New Work Ethic Case 4.4 - Essay Example As far as my experience is concerned, those with above attitude have failed to be a part of an organization for a long time as they have failed to score good in annual appraisal. In my experience I haven’t seen any thief from employee due to the culture of the society in which I live in and proper recording of the accounts where employees were thoroughly scrutinized. This culture also discouraged grouping which would hurt the business itself. I believe that employees, including me, have and will always believe that supervisors are paper-pushing functionaries who will get in the way as this is true. This discourages innovation on part of an employee and at times does not make them feel a part of an organization. Explain the implications of work ethic Sheehy describes for the future of American business. Work ethics is one of the key in any business success. In America, work ethics is more important and demanding due to its wider implications on the end beneficiary that is custo mer. First and foremost ingredient to work ethics is the hard work an employee puts into. Not only this but also a rewarding hard work which is worth every penny of the minute worked. Getting shortcuts and not making effort will not only result in downfall of the American businesses but also would result in dearth of employees on demand. Working hard just to Get big scores poisons a business environment and would get worst if that employee is given a major responsibility or is promoted up the hierarchy ladder. Explain whether it is more reasonable to expect workers, especially in a capitalist society, to be more devoted to their jobs, more concerned with quality and customer service, than Sheehy's coworkers were. Absolutely. In a capitalist society there is more thrust to be productive as capitalism brings in extra ordinary prosperity. Thus devotion to job is a must as it rewards virtue and punishes vice. More devoted to jobs, more fell employee will be paid as he/she would be seen as a resource which can not only retain but also bring in business. Sheehy’s co-workers would definitely fail in a capitalist society and would lose their jobs sooner rather than later (Thompson). A job like this depends on the customer services provided. Devotion to this job means to make a customer satisfied with the least of his requirements even and building a relationship with him which goes down to benefiting the business. Explain the reasoning behind employee theft. In frequent usage,  theft is the unlawful taking of another person's  personal belonging  with no prior permission of that person or any kind of approval.   Employee thief as a fact has been on a rise not only in developing world but also in the developed world which has been a huge strain on the businesses. Lack of maturity as an employee could be the first reason as most of them are teenagers. Some might be doing theft without any fear as most of them are from upper middle class and are not so wor ried about being getting fired. Peer pressure could be another reason where one would be treated well only if he/she will jell into the work ethics of the rest. Explain ways the culture of our capitalists society encourages attitudes like those Sheehy describes Corruption which is common in a capitalist

ECG Compliance Officer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ECG Compliance Officer - Essay Example According to the paper leaders also tend to think outwards on how their policies and ideas impact the society in the sense perspective. Managers on the other hand focus on things. For example, the major concern of a retail manager is whether the merchandise is moving and not about the people doing the work. They also have a myopic view of attaining the targets set and do not have the bigger picture. In terms of goal setting, leadership entails the articulation of the organization’s vision. The purpose of leaders is to give their followers a reason to do something and show the followers the way to the future. Essentially, leader sees the bigger picture and rallies the followers in an effort to attain it. The role of a manager is to execute plans and strive to improve the present situation in the organization. Simply put, a manager is focused on the present situation and sees the tree rather than the forest. The type of governance that is implemented also shows remarkable differ ences between leaders and managers. A manager uses authority to govern the people that he/she manages. They use their position to get things done. Also, managers avoid conflicts in their organization since they feel conflicts threaten their power. In handling issues, a manager is bound to act in a responsible manner. On the contrary, leaders use influence to govern people. In fact, leaders do not need a title in order to execute their plans. Leaders use conflicts to create tighter bonds with their followers and move forward in unison. When matters of concern arise, a leader acts decisively to solve the issue immediately with the information available. Employee relations are a pointer to whether a person is a leader or a manager. Managers aim to control the staff that they are in charge of and consider them their subordinates. As previously indicated, managers are title oriented and thus endeavor exercise authority at all times. Managers tend to specialize in directing and coordinati ng the people they are in charge of. This paper highlights that the hallmark of leadership is empowering people to do their work. Leaders recognize their followers as colleagues and they commit to developing relationships of mutual respect and trust with them. The other unique role of leadership is to create change. Leaders are tasked with ushering people they lead into new realms of uncharted territories. To achieve this, leaders learn to do the right things as the world of change is full of uncertainties. Also, leaders serve the people they lead by putting the interests of the followers ahead of theirs. Managers run their operations by perfecting the skill of managing change. Their role is to do the right the right things after they have been given a brief. The managers endeavor to serve the wishes of their superiors at all times to ensure that their bosses are happy and satisfied at whatever costs . The organization is about to go public through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) a nd acquire a new company which will lead to the creation of a new department.  

Nope nope nope Essay Example for Free

Nope nope nope Essay Rhetorical Modes Quiz Complete the following chart to identify the purpose and structure of the various rhetorical modes used in academic writing. Provide at least two tips for writing each type of rhetorical device. Rhetorical modePurpose Explain when or why each rhetorical mode is used.Structure Explain what organizational method works best with each rhetorical mode. Tips Provide two tips for writing in each rhetorical mode. NarrationThe purpose of narration is to tell a story or recount an event.Used when one wants to tell an event by event account of a story, best organized in chronological order. Use only one tense. Always put important things first. IllustrationExplains a topic or statement with specific examples.Best used by order of importantence by arranging idea by their significance, Always starts with the topic sentence.Do not over detail your concepts. Use evidence that supports your topic sentence. DescriptionTo makes your audience fully immersed in the writing by using all 5 senses.It depends on the writer as discriptions can go from left to right or top to bottom.Spatial order is your friend. Don’t use discriptors that are empty. ClassificationUsed to break down broad subjects into smaller specific parts.Can be broken down into smaller categories for organization.Break down your topic 2-4 ways. Choose topics you’re well versed in. Process analysisUsed to explain how something works or is done right.Organized in order with step by step directions.Use clear examples. Have a friend read over it. DefinitionSimply put it’s to define something.Organized by settings or condition to how something goes or is explained. Comparison and contrast Cause and effect Persuasion Copyright  © 2011 by Flat World Knowledge. All rights reserved. Adapted with permission. Select one of the topics below and determine at least one rhetorical mode that would be appropriate for addressing the topic you selected. Write 100 to 150 words explaining the topic you selected, the rhetorical mode, and why you think this mode is most appropriate for addressing your topic. †¢Pollution †¢Workplace proposal for a new initiative †¢Arguing to change a law †¢Building a new park in your town †¢Climate change †¢Profile of your best friend or a family member

Measuring Levels of Patient Dependency

Measuring Levels of Patient Dependency Title: Should patient dependency be used to set nurse-staffing levels in general hospital wards? Introduction: In this section, we perform a literature review to discuss patient dependency in clinical settings, and examine how we can measure patient dependency levels. We also discuss whether patient dependency levels should and could form the criteria for setting nurse-staffing levels in the hospital. We will also analyze the other different methods and criteria that can help to determine nurse staffing levels within the clinical setting. Patient dependency levels indicates the requirements of nurses and the extent to which patients will need nurses for their continuous care. Nurse patient ratios are often used to discuss the nurse staffing levels and these figures indicate whether staffing levels have to be increased or decreased. We would aim our discussion of patient dependency necessitating increase in staffing levels and the patient nurse ratio as indicators of nurse staffing both within general hospital wards and at critical care and emergency units. Evidential Information Patient dependency may just form an important part of nursing staff and workload of an individual nurse. Hurst (2005) conducted an important study on the nature and value of dependency acuity quality (DAQ) demand side nursing workforce-planning methods, which are set in the context of nursing workforce planning and development. Extensive DAQ data was obtained from UK nursing workforce in 347 wards, which involved 64 high quality, and 62 low quality hospital wards. The study gives special consideration to workload and quality contexts. New insights have been generated with this study and Hurst emphasizes that poor quality care is more common in larger wards that have fluctuating and unstable workload and nurse – patient ratio. Smaller workloads having consistent and high workload of nursing staff results in inflexible nurse staffing so staff levels and performed duties remain the same. Studies definitely suggest that nursing activity and staffing differences do form an importan t part of defining and contributing to the quality of the wards with higher staffing levels and more consistent work for nurses at high quality wards and lower staffing levels and irregular services with low nurse-patient ratio in low quality wards. From this evidence, it is possible to provide recommendations for nursing management and practice and probe into more accurate relations of dependency acuity quality in DAQ measures. In a study using assessment of patient nurse dependency systems for determining nurse-patient ratio in the ICU and HDU, Adomat et al (2004) point out that a huge range of patient classification systems or tools are used in critical care units to inform workforce planning, and nursing workload although the application of these methods may not always be relevant, complete or appropriate. The systems or tools used for patient classification and categorization were developed solely for the purpose of more efficient distribution of patient across hospital sections, although now the same systems are used for workforce planning, distribution of workload, determining nurse-patient ratio in critical care settings. However these changes can raise a number of issues related to workforce planning, staffing levels and nursing management in general. Adomat and Hewison evaluate the three main assessment systems used in critical care units to effectively determine the necessary nurse-patient ratio t hat can provide the best quality service in the wards. The application of these tools is to enhance the quality of care by keeping nurse-patient ratio at its optimum. The authors suggest that decisions relating to workload planning and determining the nurse patient ratio are dependent on an understanding of the origins and purpose of the classificatory tools that categorizes patients and measures their dependency on care services. Patient dependency and classification systems as well as patient dependency scoring systems for severity of illness are measures indicating mortality and morbidity although Adomat points out that these dependency measure may not be real indicators or determinants of the nurse-patient ratio that help in measuring nursing input. The costs of providing a nursing service within critical care uses nursing intensity measures to give a framework for nursing management and patient care and also determines the exact role of patient dependency in nurse staffing leve ls. However, components of the nursing role and how it determines standards of care have not been fully determined (Adomat and Hewison, 2004). They point out that careful consideration of patient dependency and classification systems may be necessary to plan, organize and provide a cost effective critical care service. In a similar study, Adomat and Hicks (2003) evaluates the nursing workload in intensive care a there is a growing shortage of nurses in these care units. The problem identified in this shortage lies in the method for calculating the nurse/patient ratio using the Nurse Workload Patient Category scoring and classificatory system use in most intensive care units. The nurse-patient ratio is determined by using the patient category or dependency scales and the general assumption is that the more critically ill a patient is, the more care and nursing time will be required for the patient. Many critically ill patients placed on a high level of mechanical care such as a feeding or ventilator tube and in intensive units may however require less direct personal nursing care than patients who are self ventilating or have been considered to have lower levels of dependence. Thus patient dependence may be addressed by means other than direct nursing care and artificial care and support systems may b used instead of nursing staff. These and other factors show that patent dependency may not be a completely relevant measure for determining nurse –patient ratio or nurse staffing levels and many associate factors have to be considered. This study by Adomat and Hicks use a video recorder to document nurse activity in 48 continuous shifts within two intensive care units and helped to determine the accuracy of the Nursing Workload Patient Category scoring system to measure nurse workload. The data obtained from the video of nurse activity was then correlated with the Patient category scale score that was allocated to the patient by the nurse in charge. The results of this study showed that the nursing skills required in these care units were of low skill type despite the needs of care being complex in general. It was found that nurses spent less time with patients who were categorized as in need of intensive care than those in need and in high dependency range in all units. T he findings indicate that existing nurse patient ratio classifications are inappropriate as nurses spend less and less time with critically ill patients. The authors expose the flaws of classification or scaling systems that tend to correlate care with critical illness. They suggest that radical reconsideration of nursing levels and skills mix should make it possible to increase provisions and levels of intensive care providing the right numbers of staff at the appropriate units where patients need them most suggesting more flexible and alternative approaches to the use of nurse-patient ratios. In a similar study discussing relationship between workload, skill mix and staff supervision, Tibby et al (2004) proposes a systems approach and suggests that hospital adverse events or AE are more likely when sub-optimal working conditions occur. Proper working conditions are thus absolutely necessary to ensure the smooth working of the clinical setting. Tibby and colleagues analyzed the adverse events in a pediatric intensive care unit using a systems approach and observational study to investigate the association between the occurrence of these adverse events and latent risk factors including temporal workload, supervision issues, skills mix, nurse staffing and the interactions between established clinically related risk factors (Tibby et a, 2004). The data was collected form 730 nursing shifts and the analysis was done with logistic regression modeling. The rate of adverse events was 6 for every hundred patient days and the factors associated with increased AE including day shift , patient dependency, number of occupied beds, and simultaneous management related issues although these were considerably decreased with enhanced supervisory ability of the nurses. Decreased number of adverse events have been found to be related to the presence of a senior nurse in charge, high proportion of shifts handled by rostered, trained, permanent staff and the presence of junior doctors. Patient workload factors such as bed occupancy and the extent to which the patient needs help and nursing supervisory levels and level of staffing such as presence of a senior nurse have been found to be associated. This study sheds light on the factors increasing or decreasing adverse events and helps in identifying the issues closely related to the need of regulating and optimizing nurse staffing levels. As we have already suggested through a study by Adomat and Hicks, patients in high dependency units may require more frequent nursing care and higher nurse-patient ratios than critical care units where patients may be supported by artificial methods. According to a study by Garfield et al (2000) high dependency units are increasing in the hospitals and becoming more important as part of a hospital’s facilities. Although the optimum staffing ratio for patients is unknown for such units, the Department of Health and Intensive Care Society recommend a level of one nurse for every two patients. Garfield et al recorded Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System scores and Nurse Dependency Scores in high dependency units over 7 months. The results indicated a weak correlation between nurse dependency score and therapeutic intervention scoring system score. The authors argue that a nurse-patient ratio of 1:2 may be insufficient for the management of a high dependency unit and based on t heir findings recommends a nurse to patient ratio of 2:3. Balogh (1992) points out that the literature on audits of nursing care shows a strong relation between the quality of nursing care provided and nursing labour force and staffing issues. Balogh suggests that all assumptions for setting nurse staffing levels on the basis of variations in patient dependency are unscientific and there are moreover no opportunities to use personal judgment in decision-making within hospitals to determine nurse-patient ratios. Balogh points out that such methods for determining staffing levels as well as audit instruments are outdated and insufficient to optimize service levels. The paper highlights the need for greater flexibility, more decision making power, and a more significant role of nurses’ personal judgment in selection and management of appropriate nurse staffing levels in dependency and critical care units. Conclusion: In this review of literature on the exact role of patient dependency in determining nurse staffing levels, we began by suggesting that it is generally believed that the more critical condition a patient is in, the higher the requirements of direct care suggesting that nurse patient ratio should be high in critical care units. This assumption however has been refuted by studies which shows that such clear criteria may not be sufficient for nurse management and staffing level decisions and other factors have to be considered. These include artificial means of life support and other mechanical devices that minimizes the need for manual staffing and reduces a critical patient’s nursing needs. A related study suggested that high dependency units rather than critical care units should be provided with higher levels of staffing although many other factors such as supervisory levels of senior nurses, skills available and already established method of determining nurse patient ratios s eem to be crucial factors. Along with the approach taken by several authors we can also suggest that personal judgment of nurses on the care needed by patients rather than inflexible scaling or scoring systems should be used by hospitals to determine staffing levels, considering patient dependency levels as well. Bibliography Adomat R, Hicks C. Measuring nursing workload in intensive care: an observational study using closed circuit video cameras. J Adv Nurs. 2003 May;42(4):402-12. Adomat R, Hewison A. Assessing patient category/dependence systems for determining the nurse/patient ratio in ICU and HDU: a review of approaches. J Nurs Manag. 2004 Sep;12(5):299-308. Ruth Balogh Audits of nursing care in Britain: A review and a critique of approaches to validating them International Journal of Nursing Studies, Volume 29, Issue 2, May 1992, Pages 119-133 The importance of data in verifying nurse staffing requirements Intensive Care Nursing, Volume 4, Issue 1, March 1988, Pages 21-23 Lynne Callaway and Edward Major Curtis C. A system of measurement of patient dependency and nurse utilization. Aust Nurses J. 1977 Apr;6(10):36-8, 42. Donoghue J, Decker V, Mitten-Lewis S, Blay N. Critical care dependency tool: monitoring the changes. Aust Crit Care. 2001 May;14(2):56-63. Garfield M, Jeffrey R, Ridley S. An assessment of the staffing level required for a high-dependency unit. Anaesthesia. 2000 Feb;55(2):137-43. Hurst K. Relationships between patient dependency, nursing workload and quality. Int J Nurs Stud. 2005 Jan;42(1):75-84. Hearn CR, Hearn CJ. A study of patient dependency and nurse staffing in nursing homes for the elderly in three Australian states. Community Health Stud. 1986;10(3 Suppl):20s-34s. Miller A. Nurse/patient dependencyis it iatrogenic? J Adv Nurs. 1985 Jan;10(1):63-9. OBrien GJ. The intuitive method of patient dependency. Nurs Times. 1986 Jun 4-10;82(23):57-61. Prescott PA, Ryan JW, Soeken KL, Castorr AH, Thompson KO, Phillips CY. The Patient Intensity for Nursing Index: a validity assessment. Res Nurs Health. 1991 Jun;14(3):213-21. Seelye A. Hospital ward layout and nurse staffing. J Adv Nurs. 1982 May;7(3):195-201. Tibby SM, Correa-West J, Durward A, Ferguson L, Murdoch IA. Adverse events in a paediatric intensive care unit: relationship to workload, skill mix and staff supervision. Intensive Care Med. 2004 Jun;30(6):1160-6. Epub 2004 Apr 6. Williams A. Dependency scoring in palliative care. Nurs Stand. 1995 Oct 25-31;10(5):27-30. For scoring systems Depatment of health – www.dh.gov.uk Department of Health (2000) Comprehensive Critical Care; a review of adult critical care services. London. The stationary office. Its also available from the Department of health website.

The Effect of Television on Humans Essay -- TV Media Papers

The Effect of Television on Humans "98% of all homes in the U.K. have at least one television in them"Throughout our planet we are surrounded by media, through magazines, newspaper, internet, radio and, the most influential, television we are educated the news of the world. Just over 96 years ago the first working mechanical TV system was built, by a man name Boris Rosing, and it’s now, in the 21st century the considered the most popular form of entertainment. It is adored by all ages and has become an essential part of the lives of millions of viewers. Television, as many researchers and scientists have said, influences the thoughts of its audience in good and, unfortunately bad ways, with TV broadcasters doing whatever necessary to profit from their shows. Television has a big impact on the youth of today, is the fact that our children are able to view scenes of sex, violence and excess bad language at such an early age have an affect on their future’s? DOES TELEVISION INFLUENCE OUR BEHAVIOUR AND CAUSE US TO BE MORE VIOLENT? The programs watched on TV obviously depend on the preferences of the viewer(s), but the majority of people will watch films quite frequently. ‘Action movies’ have forever been the most popular genre due to the extreme amounts of violence throughout the film. The characters in these films are made to look ‘cool’ when fighting or shooting one another. Teenagers take great pleasure in idolizing these heroes and imagine themselves reacting similarly in such scenarios. It has been found that youngsters who continually watch these ‘action movies’ are more likely to solve problems with violence a... ...nding us. As you can see there are advantages and disadvantages to the television, there is no doubt television influences our attitudes, behaviors and beliefs. Reality shows, Talk Shows, and Soap Operas all contribute to us being prevented from seeing the real truth in our society and what is considered important or not. On the other hand TV is extremely educational and is probably the greatest form of media. I believe that TV should not be an essential part of our daily lives, moderate amounts of it is certainly harmless, if not advantageous. By the time a child becomes an adult, he has witnessed over 12,000 acts of violence on a television screen per year. That equals 144,000 acts of violence between the ages of 5 and 18. The child has witnessed over 8,000 murders before finishing elementary school (APA 1997).

Legislating Reproductive Rights: The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 :: Politics Political Research Papers

Legislating Reproductive Rights: The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 Abstract While no federal legislation currently exists limiting access to abortions in general, in 2003, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act became the first piece of federal legislation to regulate a particular abortion method. This specific procedure, known in the medical community as intact dilation and extraction, is a procedure used to terminate late-term pregnancies and is sometimes the safest method of doing so. Since the ban’s enactment, it has been challenged and defeated in federal court three times due to its vague language which can be construed to encroach upon the fundamental right to abortion. Furthermore, the ban has been found to be an unconstitutional violation of established case law pertaining to specific abortion procedures due to its vague language and lack of a health exception to protect the woman’s well-being. This paper also presents research suggesting that the real intent of the ban is to erode the basic constitutional right to choose and that judg ments against the ban should be upheld. Introduction The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 claims to limit a specific abortion procedure known as intact dilation and extraction (D&X), which is sometimes the safest method for aborting late-term pregnancies. Many factors contribute to the need for late-term abortions and the consequences of denying abortion can be detrimental to a woman’s well-being. Restricting a specific procedure would limit safe options available to women and their doctors. Although the right to obtain an early abortion has been established as a fundamental liberty, this Act uses vague language that could extend to other forms of abortion performed earlier in a pregnancy and fails to include an exception to preserve the woman’s health. This paper will integrate previous decisions regarding abortion with an accurate description of the dilation and extraction procedure in order to demonstrate how the Act’s lack of clarity may result in its application to different procedures. As a result, it is a designed attempt to erode the rights of women. Women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, especially when almost half of all unplanned pregnancies, about 1.31 million per year, are terminated by abortion (â€Å"Overview†). To attempt to ban a specific procedure using vague language may incidentally extend to constitutionally protected forms of abortion, consequentially impinging on our constitutional rights, disregarding pertinent case law and jeopardizing women’s well-being.

emperors club Essay -- essays research papers

Success is the motivation that inspires all human beings to reach great achievements and leave an indelible mark on society. Success is not merely a destination but a journey that one must travel in order to obtain it. Since success in one’s own life is not explicitly defined, we must find objective ways of measuring it, and ultimately come to a conclusion on who has been more ‘successful,’ Sedgewick Bell, or Mr. William Hundert. As is often the case, the answer lies in the past, as Deepak Mehta is quick to point out, â€Å"To know not what happened before you were born is to be forever a child.† As was the case with Shutruk Nahunte, undoubtedly a great emperor and sovereign over an entire region of Ilam, not one history book has documented his life or significance to the world. Mr. Hundert subsequently provides his scholars with this gem, â€Å"Ambition and conquest without contribution is insignificant. What will your contribution be? How will history r emember you?† Ultimately, success is not merely wealth, fame, or political status rather it is living virtuously, conducting one’s self honorably, and making significant contributions to the future generations, who will determine the future prosperity of our nation. In every way, Mr. Hundert, through a consistent display of morality, consciousness, honor, and respect, as with the revered Roman Emperors before him, has achieved success that far surpasses the boorish Sedgewick Bell, and his posh, immature, arrogant lifestyle, which, besides short-term financial comfort and reward, does nothing to foster morality and ideals that will benefit the world once he has departed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The teaching profession is one of the most under-appreciated yet spiritually rewarding jobs that exist. Every great scholar and tremendous achiever in the world gets his or her start from the great, inspiring teachers before them. Teachers inspire their subjects to learn about the specified material, but also about themselves and the world around them. From the ages of five to twenty-two and sometimes beyond, young adults spend 7 hours daily, 180 days a year expanding their minds, and ultimately using their education to be productive members of the work force. Never in someone’s accomplishments is there a footnote giving proper credit to the teachers that preceded him or her. Therefore, Mr. Hundert’s success cannot only b... ...ct of his younger son, and if Hericlites was correct is stating a man’s character is his fate, Bell’s future career will inevitably perish. While Hundert doesn’t seek material reward for his contributions, he is satisfied with the fact that he has led an honorable life, given others an opportunity to thrive in the world, and fully embodied the spirit of the Roman greats who he teaches about and brings to life, in terms of conviction, civic virtue, and respect in the eyes of others. Wealth is not eternal. If Bell and his family continues to do nothing productive to protect their wealth, many generations into the future the wealth will be recycled back into society and into the hands of those who truly deserve it. A man’s epitaph often represents a man’s impact on the world, and is more indicative of one’s character than his status in society. History books will cast the final judgment, and most definitely, Hundert will be revered for his s elflessness, academic enlightenment and contributions to others, while Bell will be condemned for his egotism, selfishness, arrogance, and failure to make meaningful contributions to others, when he was in more of a position financially to do so.

Questionnaire Format

Introduction Before executing any survey a researcher should ask himself few questions in particular: * why you are asking the questions * who the results are for * what you expect to ? nd from the answers * how you are going to analyse the data when you get them If you re? ect on these questions, it will be easier to compose more appropriate, accurate questions that provide useful ? ndings. This re? ection should also help to understand which method will be the most appropriate for particular needs.The choice of method therefore depends on the questions that researcher want answered. If he want to know what people do in a particular situation then a questionnaire will probably be suf? cient. If its to identify why something has occurred, a questionnaire will provide less valid responses than in-depth interviews or focus groups because in-depth interviews and focus groups allow the respondent the freedom to express things in context that may not have thought of before. This course wo rk is dedicated to the questionnaire method of research in management.The work is separated into two parts: part one is giving an overview information of about questionnaires and part two is consider questionnaires as a research method in different type of management. Questionnaire is a formalized set of questions, usually paper based or delivered online, submitted for replies that can be analyzed for usable information: * social research * marketing research * management research Questionnaire design process 1. Specify the Information needed 2. Specify the Type of Interviewing methodAs it was said before each research should begin with some common steps such as specifying the necessary information and deciding which method of interviewing should be conducted for this particular research including all the advantages and possible obstacles. Also the researcher should assess what information will be sought after a thorough scanning of secondary sources of data and determine the target respondent. 3. Decide on the type of questionnaire and its structure 4. Evaluation of question content. Before including a question in the schedule, examine whether: * This question is really essential The respondent can understand the question. (i. e. is it too technical, ambiguous, or advanced for the target respondent? ) * The respondent can answer the question. (Say, the respondents possess sufficient knowledge. As such, it is better not to ask too much of factual data or about past history. ) * The respondent will answer the question. Specially, if it invades into one's privacy or it requires too much effort to answer, then they usually refuse to cooperate 5. Check question phrasing. For Example * Do words have ambiguity in meaning? Are there any implied alternatives in the question? * Are there some assumptions to be made to answer the question'? * Will the respondents approach the question from the same frame of reference as designed by the researcher? 6. Determine form of r esponse to each question: The response format may be open or closed ended. In general, the type of response format will depend on the objective of the research, nature of data to be collected and analysis to be performed. 7. Determine sequence of questions. * Use simple and interesting opening questions * Put the questions in logical manner Ask for classificatory data at the end 8. Assess the physical layout of the questionnaire. Naturally, the questionnaire must be printed properly; put in elegant form and facilitate handling. 9. Pre-test the questionnaire. It is normal practice to pretest a questionnaire on a small number of target respondents. The pretest is done to assess both individual questions and their sequence of response pattern. Accordingly, a researcher must revise questions which cause problems. While developing a questionnaire, researcher must: * Use simple words in framing the questions Avoid ambiguous- questions * Avoid implicit alternatives * Avoid questions that r equire too much memory recall and calculation * Avoid double barreled questions * Ideally, a questionnaire should first secure' some basic information to get the respondent's cooperation and gradually try to collect more information about the phenomenon of interest. * It is easier to administer a multiple choice response categories that requires one simple tick. Questionnaire format Questionnaire format depends upon the amount of structure and disguise required during data collection:Structure At the time of fronting the questionnaire the researcher must appropriately determine the degree of structure to be imposed on the questionnaire. A highly structured questionnaire is one in which the question to be asked and the responses permitted are explicitly pre-specified. On the other hand in a non-structured questionnaire the questions to be asked are kept flexible in their own words and also the respondents are allowed to answer the questions in a manner they like. The response pattern may vary from open-ended to closed-ended.In open-ended question the respondent is free to choose the possible response, whereas in the closed ended from the researcher pre specifies certain options and the respondent is allowed to choose the alternatives from the given options. Disguise Disguised questions is one where purpose is not made obvious to the respondents and is asked in an indirect manner. Non-disguised questions, on the other hand, are ones which are direct and the purpose of asking them is known clearly is the respondents. Disguised questions are used in the conditions when the issues concerned are such that respondents may not give correct answer to direct questions.Questionnaires by the format can be divided into the following categories: Structured non-disguised questionnaire| Structured-disguised questionnaire| * Questions are listed in a pre-arranged order * Respondents are told about the purpose of collecting information| * Questions are listed in a pre-arranged order * Respondents are not told about the purpose of conducting survey| Non-structured non-disguised questionnaire| Non-structured disguised questionnaire| * Questions are not structured. * Researcher is free to ask questions in any sequence he/she wants. Respondents are told about the purpose of collecting information| * Questions are not structured * Researcher is free to ask questions in any sequence he/she wants. * Respondents are not told about the purpose of conducting survey| Structured, non-disguised questionnaires are very popular in marketing research studies. These are more applicable when large sample sizes are there. Non-structured, non-disguised questionnaires, on the other hand, are used when a freehand is to be provided to the respondents so that in-depth information on the subject could be solicited e. . in industrial marketing research wherein number of respondents would also be low. Non-structured, disguised questionnaires are mainly used in `motivation research' . ‘Wore Association Test', ‘ Sentence Completion Test', `Thematic Appreciation Test', ‘Cartoon Test', etc. may be used in this category, Structured disguised questionnaires are more appropriate where responses are required towards certain sensitive issues like attitude towards aids patients, abortion etc. Questionnaire length and structure It is commonly accepted that a questionnaire should not be over long.People’s short attention spans mean that long questionnaires are completed less accurately as people rush to ? nish them. This is also true for obvious question repetition with respondents biased towards simply repeating what they said before whether it is accurate or not. One major problem with very long questionnaires is the likelihood of participants skim reading them, which increases the likelihood of participants misinterpreting complex questions. This is also a problem with back-ground information or instructions given at the beginning of the questi onnaire.Many of these problems can be counteracted with careful design of the questionnaire. The amount of motivation felt by participants to complete the questionnaire can affect how much they are prepared to concentrate on completing it. For example, participants who feel the outcomes of the research will directly bene? t them may feel more motivated to complete a questionnaire and vice versa. Since a spread of different types of users is often required, it is important to understand these variations when designing and piloting the questionnaire.To increase the usability and effectiveness of the questionnaire tool it is important to consider questionnaire is structured. This means reviewing the sequence of questions very carefully. Grouping questions together under a common theme heading will help the respondent contextualize the subsequent questions. This approach will also help identify how the sequence is likely to affect the respondent. The order in which questions are present ed may bias your respondent to give more or less favorable responses.This can also happen with the response scales whereby a respondent gives the same answer throughout a section without reading the questions. To counteract this can either counterbalance the questions or can counterbalance the response. Piloting the questionnaire should help identify these problems and correct them in the ? nal version. Question wording When designing questions it is important to consider if each question will have the same meaning for everyone. It is, therefore important to make sure frame of reference is clear. Providing de? nitions or examples is a useful way to overcome these problems.Some researchers provide scenarios at the beginning of sections to contextualize the questions. Keeping questions as short and simple as possible will increase the likelihood that they will be understood as well as the accuracy of responses. Questions that are complicated by double negatives or loaded words are par ticularly hard for a respondent to answer. It is also important not to ask more than one question at once (e. g. ‘How do you rate the system response times to urgent and non-urgent request? ’). Similarly it is essential not to ask a question that requires them to interpret meaning of a term (e. g. Do you attend online tutorials on a regular basis? ’ What is meant by the concept ‘regular basis’, is it once a day or once a week? ). Providing a range within which to choose a response will help to clarify these choices. Ranges can also help respondents feel happier about answering some questions. For example, being asked to write down age can feel far more invasive than choosing from a selection of age ranges. Ultimately, it is always important to consider what biases you may be relaying through the wording of a question. Leading questions are frequently the major problem with most questionnaires (e. . ‘Why do you think online assessment is wrong? ’). Similarly questions that invite a socially desirable response will produced a biased set of responses. Finally, assuming a respondent will be able to remember accurate details of events several months ago is unrealistic and will produce inaccurate responses. Question types Contingency questions – A question that is answered only if the respondent gives a particular response to a previous question. This avoids asking questions of people that do not apply to them (for example, asking men if they have ever been pregnant).Matrix questions – Identical response categories are assigned to multiple questions. The questions are placed one under the other, forming a matrix with response categories along the top and a list of questions down the side. This is an efficient use of page space and respondents’ time. Closed ended questions – Respondents’ answers are limited to a fixed set of responses. Most scales are closed ended. Other types of closed ended questions include: * Yes/no questions – The respondent answers with a â€Å"yes† or a â€Å"no†. * Multiple choice – The respondent has several option from which to choose. Scaled questions – Responses are graded on a continuum (example : rate the appearance of the product on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most preferred appearance Open ended questions – No options or predefined categories are suggested. The respondent supplies their own answer without being constrained by a fixed set of possible responses. Examples of types of open ended questions include: * Completely unstructured – For example, â€Å"What is your opinion on questionnaires? † * Word association – Words are presented and the respondent mentions the first word that comes to ind. * Sentence completion – Respondents complete an incomplete sentence. For example, â€Å"The most important consideration in my decision to buy a new house is . . . † * Story completion – Respondents complete an incomplete story. * Picture completion – Respondents fill in an empty conversation balloon. * Thematic apperception test – Respondents explain a picture or make up a story about what they think is happening in the picture Question Sequence Items on a questionnaire should be grouped into logically coherent sections.Grouping questions that are similar will make the questionnaire easier to complete, and the respondent will feel more comfortable. Questions that use the same response formats, or those that cover a specific topic, should appear together. Each question should follow comfortably from the previous question. Writing a questionnaire is similar to writing anything else. Transitions between questions should be smooth. Questionnaires that jump from one unrelated topic to another feel disjointed and are not likely to produce high response rates.Most investigators have found that the order in which q uestions are presented can affect the way that people respond. Questions in the latter half of a questionnaire were more likely to be omitted, and contained fewer extreme responses. Some researchers have suggested that it may be necessary to present general questions before specific ones in order to avoid response contamination. Other researchers have reported that when specific questions were asked before general questions, respondents tended to exhibit greater interest in the general questions. It is not clear whether or not question-order affects response.A few researchers have reported that question-order does not effect responses, while others have reported that it does. Generally, it is believed that question-order effects exist in interviews, but not in written surveys. Some general rules about question sequence: * flow logically from one to the next * researcher must ensure that the answer to a question is not influenced by previous questions * flow from the more general to the more specific * flow from the least sensitive to the most sensitive * flow from factual and behavioral questions to attitudinal and opinion questions * flow from unaided to aided questionsCoding and Tabulating Coding is the technical name used to categorize the data collected. It involves specifying the alternative categories or classes into which responses are to be placed and assigning code numbers to the classes. In fact, coding closed-ended questions are simple, depending on the response pattern one may design the various codes for different responses. Open-ended questions are, however, very difficult to code. Here no uniform rules exit. The researchers have been found to apply their own discretion in developing the coding procedure..Tabulation consists of simply counting the number of cases that fall into the various categories. It may take the form of simple or cross tabulation. Simple tabulation involves counting the responses based on one variable. One may apply various statistical tools like mean, median, mode, standard deviation or variance to condense and interpret the data. To present the data in graphical form one may make use of various forms of statistical graphs like histogram, frequency polygon, ogive etc. A brief description of these tools is given below.Histogram: It is a form of bar chart where the values of the variable are placed on the X-axis and the frequency of each distinct occurrence is indicated on the Y-axis. Frequency polygon: Figure obtained from the histogram by joining the midpoints of the bars of the histogram with straight lines. Ogive: This graph shows the number of cases having a value less than or equal to specified quantity; that is, the cummulative frequency is generated. Afterwards the cummulative frequencies are plotted along the Y- axis against the given combination of values of the variable (or X-axis).Advantages and Disadvantages of Questionnaires Advantages| Disadvantages| The researcher is able to contact larg e numbers of people quickly, easily and efficiently using a postal questionnaire | The format of questionnaire design makes it difficult for the researcher to examine complex issues and opinions. Even where open-ended questions are used, the depth of answers that the respondent can provide tend to be more-limited than with almost any other method of research. This makes it difficult for a researcher to gather information that is rich in depth and detail. Questionnaires are relatively quick and easy to create, code and interpret (especially if closed questions are used). In addition, the respondent- not the researcher – does the time-consuming part of completing the questionnaire| With a postal questionnaire, the researcher can never be certain the person to whom the questionnaire is sent actually fills it in. For example, if your research is concerned with finding-out the opinions of women on a range of issues, it would be less than useful if an unknown number of the question naires sent by the researcher were filled-in by men| A questionnaire is easy to standardise.For example, every respondent is asked the same question in the same way. The researcher, therefore, can be sure that everyone in the sample answers exactly the same questions, which makes this a very reliable method of research. | Where the researcher is not present, it's always difficult to know whether or not a respondent has understood a question properly. | Questionnaires can be used to explore potentially embarrassing areas (such as sexual and criminal matters) more easily than other methods. The questionnaire can, for example, be both anonymous and completed in privacy.This increases the chances of people answering questions honestly because they are not intimidated by the presence of a researcher. | The researcher has to hope the questions asked mean the same to all the respondents as they do to the researcher. This is a problem that can – to some extent – be avoided by conducting a Pilot Study prior to conducting the real survey | Relatively inexpensive method, does not require any investments| The response rate (that is, the number of questionnaires that are actually returned to the researcher) tends to be very low for postal questionnaires.A 20 – 25% return of questionnaires is probably something that most researchers would happily settle for and this may mean that a carefully-designed sample becomes unrepresentative of a target population. | | The problem of the self-selecting sample is particularly apparent in relation to questionnaires. When a response rate is very low the responses received may only be the opinions of a very highly motivated section of the sample (that is, people with strong opinions who take the time and trouble to complete and return a questionnaire)|Questionnaires in Management Management questionnaires are an important way of knowing about the productivity, sales and morale of the company. It provides an opening i nto the hearts and minds of the employees and enables the management to take corrective steps to change and improve the work environment for enhanced productivity. Managers need to prepare questions for recruitment of staffs, which involves all type of questions from technical to personal. Even managers themselves have to answer questions for their own appraisal process.Before designing the management questionnaire, it is necessary to understand the goal of the questionnaire? What are benefits of the questionnaire to the management and company as a whole? Start with a brief introduction, highlight the objective and motive of the questionnaire and what you aim to achieve from this survey. You can define a wide range of questions on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to make it comprehensive. Make sure the questions are independent in nature and easy to understand.Top level managers need to question their subordinates about their work and need to know about their psychol ogy Thus management questionnaires prove to be very beneficial for various different types of organizations. These questionnaires are not only important for employers but for employees as well. Management questionnaires are used in different type of management such as: * Performance management A performance management questionnaire is an essential instrument for collecting data. This data can be used to enhance management performance.By carrying out a survey on performance management, companies are in a better position to identify areas that require improvement and implement ways through which improvement of performance can be achieved. * Project management A project management questionnaire covers various areas in line with a particular project, the strategic processes of project management, how management processes are coordinated right from their initiation to their eventual completion. This helps to keep track of the progress that is being made and what else can be done. * Time ManagementA time management questionnaire is formulated for the purpose of evaluating individuals on their time management habits and character traits. Time is an essential resource and effective time management has a significant impact on performance. A time management questionnaire helps people identify areas of their life in which they can improve. * Supply Chain Management Supply chain management is the sensitive procedure being initiated by the corporate to ensure the growth process in which the raw material is supplied to the concerned department to boost the production.In supply chain questionnaire, the concerned department will follow certain working standards to answer all the questions. On the basis of the outcome of this questionnaire, an organization can easily evaluate the percentage of success of the supply chain department. * Human Resource Management A Human Resource Management Questionnaire is a set of questions regarding the management of the human resource departm ent of an organization. It has information regarding the number of employees involved and the structure and functioning of the human resource department.Examples of questionnaires can be found in Appendix Bibliography 1. Kinnear, Thomas C. and James R. Taylor, † Marketing Research – An Applied Approach† McGraw-Hill International Edition. 2. Adams, Anne and Cox, Anna L. (2008). Questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus groups. In: Cairns, Paul and Cox, Anna L. eds. Research Methods for Human Computer Interaction. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press 3. Questionnaire Design. A. N. Oppenheim Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. ; New edition edition (17 Aug 2000) 4.Developing a Questionnaire (Real world research). Bill Gillham. Continuum (1 Jun 2000) Appendix Performance Management Questionnaires Company Name †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Industry †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Number of employees †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Company position †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Rate the following using this key: * Unsatisfactory *Average *Good *Excellent Efficiency in the use of resources †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Assurance of quality performance †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Employee satisfaction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Employee training and development †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Customer service †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Quality of products †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Quality standards †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Safety standards †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Rate of product delivery †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Staff punctuality †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Corporate social responsibility †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Project Management Questionnaires Is there a project management process in existence? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ What is the scope of the project? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. What project phases are put in place? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Upon the undertaking of projects, is there further delegation of tasks? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Who is responsible for the realization of project objectives? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Which processes of project management currently exist? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ What are the financial implications of these processes? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Are there guidelines in place for project organization and quality assurance? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Do processes related to the projects meet the needs of key stakeholders? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Is the project independently carried out? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Time management questionnaire Do you prioritize your tasks? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Do you allow interruptions to take your attention away from important tasks? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Do you take on tasks even when the time is not sufficient? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Do you take on other people’s tasks? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Do you take breaks during the day? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Do you take a long time to complete normal tasks? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Do you find yourself working o ver the weekend or during holidays? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Do you easily find your things? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Do you spend a lot of time on recreational activities? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Supply Chain Management Name of the department: ____________________ Head of the department: _____________________ Date of the questionnaire: ____/____/_____Q1: Is supply chain management having all the address of the developer branches of the company? Yes No Q2: Rate the working strategies of supply chain management department on the basis of the current programs? 10. Outstanding 9. Excellent 8. Good 7. Average Q3: Is the supply chain management department is having sufficient transportation? Yes Not sufficient Q4: According to the current growth process of the organization, which of the following needs much attention and progress to boost the production? Operational activities Tactical activities Current programming strategiesQ5: Choose the right option, wher e the supply chain department is facing problem in taking care of the raw material? During storage Packaging Testing of packaging Evaluation of defective raw material Q6: How do you rate the delivery activity of the department? 10. Excellent 9. Very effective 8. Good 7. Average Q7: Is there any case recorded by the supply chain department in which the production department complained late delivery of raw materials? Yes No Human Resource Management Questionnaire Name____________________________ Address________________________ Name of organisation ______________________Sector __________________ Address of organisation ___________________ city __________________ Email id of employee _____________________________ Contact number ______________________________________ Q1. State the number of employees in your organisation _______________________ Q2. How many employees are in the HR department _______________________? Q3. What sort of structure does your HR department have? _______________ ___________________________ Q4. What are the responsibilities and scope involved? _____________________________________________________________________